A STUDY OF FAKM ORGANIZATION IN CENTRAL KANSAS 
15 
REASONS FOR VARIATION IN LABOR REQUIREMENTS 
The three farms having the lowest man-labor requirements for 
plowing used 5 horses on 2-bottom gangs. The two farms having 
the highest man and horse hours per acre used 2, S, and 4 horse teams 
and walking or sulky plows a considerable part of the time. On 
farm 2 a 3-bottom plow pulled by a 12-20 tractor is partly responsible 
for the low labor requirement. 
LABOR IN LISTING FOR WHEAT 
FARM 
NO. 
I 
10 
4 
14 
I 1 
8 
7 
15 
HOURS^ 
> 1 2 
1.35 
— 
1.40 
1 .40 
^^^^^ ^WEIGHTED 
■ , AVERAGE 
| X 1.63 
■■PM 
t.45 
EEBS| 
1.52 
mss 
1.85 
1.93 
2.03 
■■^■Ff 
HOURS 
7.8 I 
5.60 
6.04 
5.80 
6.08 
6.84 
I 1.63 
8.29 
HORSE HOURS PER ACRE 
4 5 6 7 8 
9 10 
12 
1 WEIGHTED 
! 1 7.77 
I 1 1 1 1 1 1 • 1 
Fig. 8. — Listing and working down ridges takes less time than plowing, but unless it is done very early in 
summer it is not so satisfactory 
The listing on the farm having the lowest man-labor requirements 
was done with a 2-row lister and 6 horses. On farm 7, 8 horses were 
used on a 2-row lister for a part of the time, but less effectively than 
on farm 1. 
MAN HOURS 
PER ACRE 
LABOR IN DISKING FOR WHEAT 
FARMS USING HORSES ONLY 
HORSE HOURS PER ACRE 
NO. 
HOUR 
13 
.5 1 
1 
.52 
1 1 
.54 
14 
.56 
7 
.6 1 
8 
.62 
17 
.66 
3 
.68 
4 
.88 
6 
.93 
w 
HOURS 
2.05 
2.29 
2.1 6 
2.24 
5.43 
2.50 
2.64 
2.73 
4.50 
3.73 
1 2 3 4 5 6 
WEIGHTED 
AVER A GE 
2.37 
/ 
' 
ifMW 
Fig. 9. 
MAN HOURS 
PER ACRE 
FARM 
NO. 
HOURS 
) 
1 
12 
.53 
2 
.55 
FARMS USING HORSES AND TRACTORS 
HORSE AND TRACTOR HOURS PER ACRE 
_f 2 3 4 5 
48 
HORSE TRACTOR ft 
HOURS HOURS w 
.40 
.55 
] 
■■ Horse 
Y77Z\ Tractor 
_J 1 
-The disk is used chiefly on land where corn has been cut and on the corners and ends of fields or 
in low places where it is difficult to get the soil in proper condition for seeding 
Most of the disking on farm 7 was done by 8 and 10 horse teams, 
with a harrow hitched on behind a tandem disk. On two farms 
tandem disks were pulled with tractors, and the labor used per acre 
on these farms was less than the average for the farms using horses. 
